Chapter 23

CHAPTER23

“Perhaps we could discuss this?” Sean asked, but Bryce wasn’t in the mood to talk.

Not now.

Not after he’d fucked up this badly.

What the hell was he thinking telling her that he missed her? Bryce had to wonder as he finished tying the rope around Sean and-

“Oh, shit!”

-shoved him in their nephew’s closet before closing the door and ignoring his brother’s demands to be released, which were immediately followed by his promises to tell on him.

God, he was a fucking idiot, Bryce thought as he dropped down on the small bed, in no fucking mood to head back downstairs to the Christmas party that he’d let Rory manipulate him into coming to with a few well-placed sniffles. She was evil, Bryce decided, sighing heavily as the sounds of Christmas music, laughter, and murmured conversations reached him from below.

“Aw, what’s wrong, big guy?” Sean asked while Bryce sat there, wondering how he’d fucked this up so badly.

One minute, Cayley’s beautiful lips were pulling up into a smile that had him swallowing hard, and the next, she was absently murmuring, “Thank you for my office,” and reminding him that they were going to be late. He-

Had no fucking idea what he was doing.

“I could help you,” Sean said, sounding thoughtful.

“I don’t need your help,” Bryce said, dropping his head in his hands as he tried to figure out where he went wrong.

“You really do,” Sean murmured with a heartfelt sigh.

“How exactly was tying her to a chair and suspending her in a fucking closet helpful?” Bryce asked, dropping his hands away so that he could glare at the closet door.

“Because it forced her to face her feelings,” Sean said in a tone that told him that it should have been more than fucking obvious.

“You mean the murderous rage that you forced her to embrace by leaving her in there for seven hours?” Bryce demanded as he debated going downstairs and…

He had no fucking clue what he should do next.

“So, I couldn’t help but notice while Cayley was trying to beat the shit out of me with that nutcracker that she really didn’t seem happy about whatever happened at the office after I left,” Sean said, making his eyes narrow on the door.

“You locked her in a fucking closet and left her there,” Bryce said, enunciating every fucking syllable.

“Yeah, that really doesn’t explain why you’re up here instead of downstairs looking at her adoringly,” Sean said with a shuddering sigh.

“There is something seriously wrong with you,” Bryce said, deciding that he’d had enough for one night as he got up and headed for the door and-

“She went quiet, didn’t she?” Sean asked, making him frown as he backed up and faced the door.

“Start talking,” Bryce said, folding his arms over his chest as he glared at the closet door.

“I would. I really would, but I’m not sure that I’m going to be able to do that, not like this,” Sean said as he released a shuddering sigh that had Bryce absently nodding as he reached over and opened the closet door.

“What are you doing?” Sean asked, blinking up at him as Bryce reached down and-

“You make her nervous!” Sean yelled somewhat hysterically as Bryce dragged him out of the closet by his legs.

“Keep going,” Bryce said as he headed for the hallway while he debated his options, which he had to admit were pretty limited with the party going on downstairs.

“Was she able to look you in the eye after that?” Sean asked conversationally as Bryce dragged him into the hallway.

“Meaning?” Bryce asked, glancing at the stairs that would take them downstairs to the living room where there was a room full of potential witnesses before shifting his attention to the narrow backstairs that would have to do.

“It’s really not my place to say,” Sean said with a heartfelt sigh, which was immediately followed by, “What are you doing?” when Bryce tightened his hold around the rope securing the little bastard’s legs together and made his way to the backstairs.

“Making this easier for you,” Bryce said as he dragged his brother down the long hallway.

“This doesn’t feel easier,” Sean murmured as they reached the backstairs and Bryce couldn’t help but notice that they didn’t have a runner covering the stairs to cushion the blow.

“Trust me. It is,” Bryce said, opening the baby gate blocking their way.

“I’d really like to discuss this,” Sean said as he rolled over onto his stomach and struggled to get to his knees.

“Then I suggest that you tell me what I want to know,” Bryce said as he reached over and grabbed hold of his brother before he could get to his feet and-

“She avoids guys that make her nervous and settles for safe guys!” Sean rushed to explain, making Bryce pause mid-yank so that the asshole that was seconds away from becoming better acquainted with the backstairs could explain.

“Meaning…”

“She’s going to avoid you now,” Sean said, nodding solemnly as Bryce stood there, frowning as he considered his brother.

“Why?” Bryce asked, only to sigh and start making his way down the stairs when the little bastard said, “I mean, wouldn’t you?”

“I was kidding!” Sean yelled as Bryce paused with Sean’s legs hanging above the stairs. “She doesn’t talk about it, but I think she’s terrified of getting hurt so she avoids men that make her nervous and settles on the ones that have no chance in hell of breaking her heart.”

“That really doesn’t explain why she said yes to the asshole,” Bryce pointed out even as he found himself wondering what he was going to do if this was true.

“Doesn’t it, though?” Sean asked only to bite out, “Shit!” when Bryce took one step back, pulling Bryce closer to the edge. “I told you that she was never going to marry him. She settles for safe relationships with assholes that have absolutely no chance in hell of breaking her heart, but they never last.”

“It lasted two years,” Bryce pointed out.

“Only because she didn’t think that she could have the one thing that she really wanted,” Sean said, dropping his head back against the hardwood floor with a sigh.

“What’s that?” Bryce murmured absently as he debated dragging his brother down the stairs for the hell of it only to swallow hard when Sean said the one thing that he never expected.

“You.”